Communication is vital to successful outsourcing. If you don’t let them know exactly what you have in mind, and if you don’t listen to their questions and concerns, your business will suffer. However when there’s excellent communication, your business will thrive.

Here are some areas of concern:

Communication between Owner and Assistant

Whether you are outsourcing tech support, writing, web design or something else, there is a great deal of effort needed in order to keep the lines of communication open. If you allow your workers to do work for you without communicating your goals and what it is that you need, you will find that the work will not be done as you’d hoped. Everyone will be frustrated.

Assistants are not mind-readers and do need guidance. Take some time to make sure that you and your team clearly understand your expectations. Give them plenty of examples so that they can do the work in a manner that reflects your style, personality and work ethic. This is an important part of making sure that you get what you need.

Understanding Your Role as the Outsourcer

As the one doing the outsourcing, you need to understand your role. In order for the relationship between business owner and assistant to flourish, you’ll want to keep the lines of communication not only open, but clear as well. Be detailed in what you expect from your help. Also keep in mind that you are probably not their only client and as much as you would love to have them all to yourself, that probably isn’t the case. Be respectful of their time and give feedback on their work. This will help them do a better job and respect your time in return.

Outsourcing is vital for the growth of your business. To “get it done” you really need to learn how to reach out to people with the right resources. Did you know that Tapping into Your Resourcefulness and the Power of Delegation is Step 3 of my Ready Set Resultz System? Watch this video where I explain why knowing WHAT needs to be done, is more important than HOW to get it done.

If you’re an entrepreneur building a business and you want to utilize the internet in your marketing, you may wonder if your business needs a blog and the short answer is of course – no. Your business doesn’t need anything.

But if you want your business to grow, if you want to build relationships that lead to customers who love and buy what you have to offer, and if you want to start generating the revenue that you’ve always dreamed of then the answer is yes – you do need a blog.

A blog is uniquely able to do these things for your business:

• Connect with your readers
• Optimize your website
• Profit from affiliate or ad sales
• Embrace personality marketing
• Establish yourself as an expert
• Increase awareness and exposure
• Educate, inform, and provide value to your target audience

In fact a blog can be used quite easily instead of a website. WordPress blog templates can be made to look like a ‘regular’ website with static pages, forms, advertising, and a customizable header and so on. An entrepreneur can get a blog up and running easily in just one day with Wordpress.

And because blogs are so much easier to use, they’re often the best option for someone who’s a new entrepreneur. That being said, experienced entrepreneurs also use blogs as their main website because the search engines love them. I love the way that my blog so easily connects me with my community. It’s what’s helped me to grow my business so much faster and larger than I had envisioned.

So do you need a blog?  No, not really. Will a blog help you grow your business faster?  Most definitely. Download my brand new free video, “7 Most Common Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” to get a jump ahead in the game. It’s always best to learn from others mistakes and I’m happy to spare you from some I’ve made.

Toddlers love to say "no" to just about everything. For them it’s sport. For us, as entrepreneurs, saying "no" is about survival.

To better protect your valuable time, I want to suggest some simple actions you can take to say “no” to time vampires and say “yes” to your life.

• Cut down the “Chatter”. If you have Instant Messenger, Skype, or Google Chat open, set your status as “away”, “busy”, or even “invisible”. If there’s an emergency, people will find you. If there isn’t an emergency, you’ll have focus for the time that you need it to get things done.

• Turn off email notifications. If you get a little flash, beep, or any type of interruption whenever a new email comes in, turn that off. Every single time that your eye gets drawn to the flash it distracts you and causes you to lose your train of thought. Even if it’s a split second, it adds up and cuts into your productivity.
• Speaking of email, unsubscribe from most of your email notification lists. Choose just a few that you really enjoy reading and dump the rest. If that’s a scary thought, then set up a new email account and re-subscribe with the new email address. Plan to check it once each week. You may find that the new email account never gets opened.

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Guest Post by Amy Miyamoto

When Kim initially asked me to contribute a post here, I had a flurry of ideas about all the practical, logical, and helpful posts I might write.  But over the last couple of weeks since our conversation, each time I have sat down to write one of these practical, logical and helpful posts, I was hit with a whole lot of stuck.

Initially, I couldn’t articulate the reason for my resistance…yet over the last few days I have become increasingly aware of the culprit.  My first bit of awareness came from my observations of recent conversations with some of my clients and colleagues, (all of which are up to great things in the world.)  Yet, I noted that the tone in their voices, although focused and dedicated, were all missing something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.  Until one conversation where a friend of mine was outlining her five year plan to grow her business which would then enable her to “finally start enjoying the fruits of her labor” which included more time for herself to start having more fun.

It was at that moment that I was struck with the question:  “What is keeping her from choosing more fun and joy right now?“  As I offered this question to her we explored what appeared to be a number of perfectly logical (and personally familiar) reasons why there just didn’t seem to be enough time, energy, or resources to indulge in a “big” chuck of fun right now.

This concept of “bigness” is something I have heard referenced before by many of my clients…the idea that in order to qualify as worth the effort, making room for fun or playtime feels like it has to be some big momentous event.  And in this day and age of fast-paced lives and filled-to-the-brim schedules, I can certainly relate to the idea of needing to defer “play” time until the nebulous “later”.

It was during this conversation with my friend that something clicked for me.  After all of my years of study and integration of success mindset I have come to understand that as powerful an ingredient that it is, there is still another key piece to the puzzle.  If we do not also make the equally important choice of engaging and sharpening our “heart-set” skills it leaves some of the most powerful “juice” missing from the equation.

So what is the solution to choosing more joy NOW even with our fast-paced reality? For me, it starts with embracing the “Power of the Spoonful”.  Yes a spoonful of joy, fun, and play today will have a ton more impact than gallons of joy “saved for later.”  Our ability to savor joy “in the present moment” is a key muscle that needs to be exercised on a regular basis.  If not, like any unused muscle, it can begin to atrophy, which shows up as the all too familiar symptoms of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm.

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The hot summer days are upon us and I’m thrilled to have the flexibility to take a morning yoga class, swim with my kids and enjoy late afternoon baseball games.

BUT what about your business – can you afford to put it on hold?

It can be hard to focus on business with summer vacations, school-aged kids at home, and the natural desire to soak up some sunshine and relax before fall. But most of us can’t afford to put our businesses on hold for summer. So what can help us manage our business while we still enjoy the summer with our families?

Focus on ONE Project

Instead of trying to do it all, choose one meaningful project to  focus on. That way instead of feeling pulled in a million different directions you have a plan of action.

If you need help deciding which project should be a priority, I have a great template to share with you that goes into greater details of how to pick the right project.

This template will help you concentrate on the OUTCOME you desire and choose a project that will create MOMENTUM in your business.

Last summer was the first time I really implemented this concept and it made a huge difference. I was more focused, had clearer boundaries,  had a purpose, and truly felt like my tasks were moving me towards something that mattered to the bottom-line of my business.

At that time, I was truly stepping into the “Get it Done” world and I focused my energy on two projects: the revamping of my Get it Done Action Club and the launch of a pilot program that become The Get it Done Challenge.

So, what’s my project for this summer?

I’ve taken my popular program – Think It, Create It, Sell It: 3 Easy Steps to Create Your Own Info Product – and streamlined it into an eight-week summer program. It’s a whole new approach to teaching a class that combines independent study (aka flexibility) with support and accountability. (The bottom line is entrepreneurs want to get things done during the summer BUT they want to do it around their own schedule.)

Stay tuned…I’ll be sending out an announcement tomorrow sharing the program details and a special offer that’s available through June 25th.

As entrepreneurs, let’s all choose a “doable” project to work on this summer – a project that will produce results for our business (and be fun in the process). I’d love to hear what your focus will be, please share that with me.

Just imagine this fall when the leaves start changing and the kids are getting on the bus for the first day back to school, you’ll have your project done so you can start reaping the rewards (whether that’s more income, a bigger list, more credibility… you decide).

When you’re working from home and you have kids at home, you’re constantly conflicted. On one hand, you feel like you’re never able to get onto the computer to work. On the other hand, you feel like you’re on the computer all the time.

There are many days when I feel completely unbalanced and stressed. Either I’m on the computer way too much, not paying enough attention to my kids, or when I am with them enjoying our time, I’m feeling bad that I’m not attending to my business.

As women, I think we ALL face these feelings at some time or another. So how do you get it done without stressing out?

Here’s one simple tool I use, and truth is that each time use it, I’m amazed by its brilliance and wonder why I don’t use it more often.
In a world of high tech gadgets this tool is the wonderfully simple (and inexpensive) kitchen timer.

Right now, while my husband is making dinner, I’ve given myself 15 minutes to write as much as I can during that time. When the timer goes off, I’ll hopefully be done with this blog and will join my family for dinner.

The timer has some pretty great benefits:

• It provides a sense of urgency. Often I have multiple applications open on my computer and if I’m not careful I can flit from project to project, application to application. Sometimes I have that kind of day where I work on a little bit of a lot, but never really feel like I’ve accomplished much. Then there are those amazing “kitchen timer days” when I’m in the groove. I use the timer to keep me focused and moving a long.  When I know the timer is counting down, and I really want to complete my task, I work quickly without distraction.
• It keeps me accountable. I can’t wander off from writing this blog. If I did and the timer went off, I’d know I didn’t keep my end of the bargain. I have to stay on track because I’ve allotted this time for this blog and I don’t want it to take the whole day.  I find the longer I give myself to complete a project, the longer it takes.
• It’s tangible. How many times have I said to my kids “just give me 5 more minutes” or “let me check just one email” and then I emerge from my office an hour later? My kids know with the timer that they can watch the time ticking down, and that I’m all theirs when it gets to zero.
• It teaches them time management. My kids are learning time management, too. You can set the timer for them to clean their room or focus on a homework assignment or enjoy play time before beginning their homework.

If you don’t have a timer – or misplaced yours, here’s an online version that I use.

So often I, and the many moms I speak with, are struggling with the balance of  our family and work. After 12 years of doing the “juggle” I don’t believe there is a perfect solution. In truth we do the best we can with where we are on a particular day always staying focused on WHY we chose to work from home in the first place.

While I can multi-task with the best of them, it rarely serves me, nor my kids, because I’m not present in either situation, and who benefits from that?

As women, we need the camaraderie of others and to know what they’re going through and has worked and what hasn’t. By nature we love to connect and gather information.

I want to share a great resource for you. Beginning this week, my friend Caitriona Ellis (from Ireland) is hosting a Super Mom Summit where nine moms (me included) and one dad are speaking about how they made the move from being an unsatisfied employee to creating a successful home-based businesses. The common thread amongst all the speakers is that we all began as employees. Listen into the stories about finding your passion,  how to sell and market your ideas, and how to use resources around you to make your escape.

The Super Moms Summit begins today, May 31st.

Last year I was invited to speak on a panel at a local community college to a group of entrepreneurs during National Entrepreneurship Week discussing “Success Skills for Women.” For me, it’s a joy to be on a panel, I love the interaction, the students coming up to ask questions when it’s over and the connections I make with the other panelists.  An extra perk is that I got to get dressed up and put on lipstick (which I rarely do while working from home.)

While the college market is not necessarily my target market, I’ve always envisioned myself speaking to groups of young people to share the possibilities of what entrepreneurship can mean in their lives.  During the 5-mile walks I took during my first pregnancy, I often rehearsed the talk I wanted to share to high school students telling them to be open to all the learning that came their way, no matter in what form.

Fast forward many months and I received a message from a professor of business and entrepreneurial studies from the community college. She wanted to nominate me for Connecticut SBA’s Women in Business Champion of the Year award. I was traveling a lot during that time, didn’t take in the opportunity she was presenting me, forgot to get back to her, and pretty much dropped the ball.

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Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in a TweetChat around the topic of Life Purpose. I found it fascinating because the conversation was so focused around a particular topic and interesting people showed up to ask questions, engage with each other and share information.

Please watch my short video about what I learned in this process.

One reason I want to share this video with you is to let you know about the work that my friend and mentor, Baeth Davis, is doing about teaching Life Purpose information. It is through understanding your purpose that you can say goodbye to meaningless work and not enough money!

You can access her free interactive trainings for the next four days, just visit this link. You can also check out some of the shifts that I made in my business by understanding (and embracing) my life’s purpose.

Want to see what a Tweet Chat is all about, stop by and join the conversation.

Working from home – most of us absolutely love it – but it can be challenging. I enjoyed all the great feedback I got from work at home women on how to manage distractions and interruptions in last week’s blog post.

Here are a couple other challenges we face when we work from home…

Challenge – Feeling like you’re not getting your great ideas accomplished and the business isn’t moving forward.

•    First thing in the morning take a few minutes to picture what you want to create for the day. Envision your success. Write it down in your journal.

•    Limit yourself to three top priorities to accomplish today. For example your day might include scheduling appointments, spending quality time with each child and exercising for one hour. This way it’s easier to see your results.

•    Create a list of “non-negotiables” and stick to it. This can include personal, professional and mom-related things. For example, schedule your son’s soccer game as if it were a business appointment.

•    Schedule out a week at a time. It’s not what you do in any one day, but over the course of a week that counts. This allows you flexibility to be a mom when you need to be and then get back on track with business the next day. By the end of the week you’ll get to everything that really needs to be done.

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